What Affordable Means in Dentistry by Meredi Wagner-Hoehn

The search for a competent, friendly and affordable dentist can be as difficult as the search for the Fountain of Youth. To find the best Austin dentist for you and your budget, you need a clear idea of what you’re looking for in your dental health plan. Here are some questions to consider when determining your next general, cosmetic or family dentist.

Do They Offer Affordable Dental Plans?

For some advanced procedures, it’s unreasonable to expect cheap dental work. For example, the cost of dental implants will always be somewhat steep. The process of implanting a titanium screw into a person’s jaw, allowing it to integrate with the jawbone and placing a crown on top takes expensive materials and, more importantly, expensive dental training. Dental implant prices reflect the level of training any qualified dentist, even an affordable dentist, has to go through to safely and effectively deliver that service, not to mention the cutting-edge tools and materials the Austin dental practice needs to complete the dental surgery.

Although dental clinics don’t have control over the prices of training and materials, and translated, the price of their service, they do have control over the payment process. That’s why it’s important to ask, “Do they offer affordable dental plans?” Some Austin dental practices offer dental payment plans, 0% financing and assistance with the applications. If you need a dental surgery which costs $3,000, it can be beneficial to your finances and life to pay in increments as opposed to a lump sum. Sometimes, cheap dental service doesn’t mean a lower price tag; it means greater convenience through customer assistance.

One Austin dental practice which embraces this ideal in customer service is Dr. Mike McCarty’s cosmetic dentistry office on Mo-Pac. The employees offer comprehensive service, from teeth cleaning to dental insurance guidance to assistance in signing up for their CareCredit payment plan.

Do They Offer a Complete Array of Individual Dental Plans?

Your Austin dentist should be able to perform any dental work your unique situation requires. A dental plan for seniors may be necessary, for example. This plan may involve dental implants, dentures or root canals. The same cosmetic dentist should be able to treat your teenage daughter with a dental plan which fits her needs, such as Invisalign® (invisible braces) to keep her smiling confidence high. An affordable dentist remains affordable by offering full-service in just one stop. Going to the same Austin dentist for all of your family dental plans cuts back on travel, leaving you in control of your time.

Do They Value Their Customers?

This may seem like an obvious concern, but it can be one of the most difficult questions to answer. Sure, they may smile at you when you come to the counter, but what extra effort do they put forth to ensure their customers’ satisfaction? If a dental practice is dedicated to keeping their customers happy, they’ll offer certain perks in addition to consistent quality care.

To present another example, Dr. McCarty gives three lucky customers a discounted teeth whitening each month. The teeth whitening lottery provides the winner with a free in-office Rembrandt© teeth whitening; the second winner gets 50% off, and the third winner gets 25% off. This lottery gives his patients’ smile an added brilliance, showing genuine care for the beautiful smiles of Austin.